It is known that, on an equipping machine, printed circuit boards are equipped with electronic components such as, for example, resistors, capacitors, diodes. For this purpose, conventional equipping machines have a conveying means, by means of which a printed circuit board can be transported, along its longitudinal direction, from an input section to an equipping post of an equipping section. At the equipping post, the printed circuit board is positioned precisely and fixed temporarily, at least for the duration of the equipping operation. In the equipping operation, electronic components provided from a stock are taken from the stock by an equipping unit and disposed on the printed circuit board. After the equipping operation, the fixing of the printed circuit board is removed, the printed circuit board is transported out of the equipping section, and a subsequent printed circuit board is transported from the input section to the equipping post. The time required for transporting this unequipped printed circuit board to the equipping post is also referred to as changeover time.
In a subsequent process after the equipping operation, the electronic components are fixed to the printed circuit board, e.g. by soldering, in such a manner that the electronic component is electrically connected to the printed circuit board. Conventional equipping machines are realized to equip differing printed circuit boards of differing dimensions, such as, for example, width and/or length. A maximum length of a printed circuit board that can be equipped on an equipping machine is defined in this case by a length of the input section and of the equipping section of the equipping machine. In the case of printed circuit boards of a length that is less than half of the maximum length printed circuit board that can be equipped on the equipping machine, there is the problem that, following the removal of the equipped printed circuit board for the next printed circuit board to be equipped, it is necessary to travel a transport path, between the input section and the equipping post, that is at least twice the length of the corresponding printed circuit board, the transport path ideally corresponding to the length of the printed circuit board. Owing to this transport path that is relatively long in relation to the length of the printed circuit board, the changeover time of the printed circuit boards is greater than in the ideal case. As a result of this, production capacity of the equipping machine is significantly reduced.
Known from the EP patent application 1 863 330 is an equipping machine having a transport system that is realized to receive and temporarily store a group of printed circuit boards on a storage means. A storage means, loaded with a group of printed circuit board, can be moved in an equipping region of the equipping machine for the purpose of equipping. Such a transport system has the disadvantage that only with large investment costs can it be implemented in a conventional equipping machine. Furthermore, an equipping means of the equipping machine is inactive for the duration of receiving the individual printed circuit boards on the storage means, such that this results in relatively long dead times between completion of the equipping of printed circuit boards of one group and the start of equipping of printed circuit boards of a subsequent group.
An equipping machine for printed circuit boards, having a transport system, is known from the EP patent 1 535 502. The equipping machine has an input section, an equipping section and an output section. A sensor arrangement is intended to ensure that transport of a printed circuit board that has just been equipped, from the equipping section into the output section, is effected at the same time as transport of an unequipped printed circuit board from the input section into the equipping section. The patent EP 1 535 502 does not deal with the problem of how printed circuit boards of differing length are to be transported within the equipping machine. Furthermore, such an equipping machine requires a multiplicity of additional sensors, such that retrofitting of a conventional equipping machine with these sensors requires high investment costs.